Vivo V70 FE Brings 200MP Photography and Creative Style to the Spotlight Ahead of April 12 Launch

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Vivo is preparing to introduce the Vivo V70 FE, a new addition to its fashion-forward smartphone lineup that continues the series’ strong focus on imaging performance and design. Positioned as a lightweight flagship device, the Vivo V70 FE highlights photography as its core experience, led by a confirmed 200MP camera system that immediately sets it apart in its segment.

As competition in the mid-to-upper smartphone category continues to intensify, the upcoming release signals a confident move from Vivo. The brand continues to strengthen its identity by balancing technical innovation with stylish appeal, targeting users who value both performance and visual expression.

At the center of attention is the Vivo V70 FE’s 200MP imaging capability. With this level of resolution, users gain greater flexibility when capturing photos in real-world scenarios. A single shot can retain clarity even when enlarged or heavily cropped, making it easier to adjust framing after the moment has passed. This “capture first, refine later” approach becomes especially useful during short trips or spontaneous travel, where scenes change quickly, and opportunities are limited.

Instead of retaking multiple photos, users can extract several compositions from just one high-resolution image. Whether isolating architectural details, reframing subjects in busy environments, or improving composition afterward, the device offers creative freedom from a single capture. Combined with its lightweight build, the Vivo V70 FE is designed as a convenient companion for documenting everyday moments while preserving important details.

Beyond imaging, Vivo is also expanding the device’s creative identity through a collaboration with POP MART Zsiga. Known for its expressive and personality-driven character design, Zsiga reflects how younger audiences increasingly treat photography as a form of storytelling and self-expression rather than simple documentation. The partnership reinforces the V series’ connection with lifestyle culture and visual creativity.

Adding to this expressive direction is the introduction of the Muse Purple colorway, a finish that highlights individuality while complementing the device’s fashion-inspired design language.

With short trips and spontaneous experiences shaping how users capture memories today, the Vivo V70 FE positions its 200MP camera as a practical advantage. Blending clarity with creativity through its POP MART Zsiga collaboration, the device presents a refreshed V series experience where performance meets personality.

The Vivo V70 FE is scheduled to officially launch on April 12 at 5:00 PM via Facebook livestream. More details are expected to be revealed as the launch approaches.

LG AeroBooster Pet Air Purifier Brings Smart, Pet-Focused Air Care to Modern Homes

Maintaining clean indoor air has become increasingly important, especially for households with pets. The LG AeroBooster Pet air purifier is designed specifically to address this need, combining advanced filtration technology, intelligent automation, and optimized airflow to help create healthier living environments across spaces up to 52.8 square meters.

At the core of the device is LG’s HEPA Aero V Filter, engineered to capture fine airborne particles commonly found in homes with pets. These include pet dander, loose hair fragments, and microscopic dust that can circulate through indoor spaces. By targeting these contaminants, the AeroBooster Pet improves air clarity and overall comfort for both homeowners and their pets.

One of the standout features of the purifier is its 360° Purification system, which enables it to draw in and clean air from all directions rather than relying on a single intake path. This design helps ensure more balanced and consistent purification coverage throughout the room. Complementing this system is LG’s Dual Air Flow and Clean Booster technology, which enhances airflow distribution and pushes purified air farther across the space for faster and more even results.

Energy efficiency is another key advantage of the AeroBooster Pet. Through its AI+ Mode, the device can automatically adjust its operation based on indoor air conditions. This allows it to optimize performance while reducing unnecessary energy consumption, making it suitable for continuous daily use without significantly increasing electricity costs.

To further strengthen its purification capability, the unit incorporates UV Nano technology. This additional layer of protection helps maintain cleaner internal airflow pathways and contributes to improved overall hygiene within the device itself.

Beyond filtration performance, the AeroBooster Pet is carefully tailored for households with pets. It helps control odors often associated with animals while capturing airborne allergens that may affect indoor comfort. These features make it especially useful for families seeking a practical solution to pet-related air quality challenges.

The AeroBooster Pet also forms part of LG’s broader AirCare portfolio, joining models such as the AeroHit and 360 Hit. Together, these devices reflect LG’s approach to combining full-circle purification coverage, enhanced airflow engineering, and smart automation technologies to support cleaner, more comfortable indoor living spaces.

Regional Sari-Sari Growth Outpace Metro Manila in 2025 - Packworks Study BARMM, Negros Island Lead Nationwide Growth Surge

Manila, Philippines — Growth in the Philippine micro-retail sector is seeing a significant shift toward the provinces, with regional hubs now outpacing Metro Manila in store expansion and transaction activity.

This is the latest insight from Filipino tech startup Packworks after analyzing over 1 million monthly transactions for one year from its mobile application within its network of more than 300,000 stores nationwide. The company reported that 213,051 stores from its network actively transacted through its app in 2025, a 21% increase from 176,000 in 2024 and a significant jump from 133,000 in 2023.

The study identified the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Negros Island Region (NIR) as the primary drivers of this nationwide surge. BARMM recorded a staggering 116% increase in active stores. This coincided with a 77% rise in app usage, a 119% boost in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) or store sales, and a 97% rise in transactions. Growth was particularly sharp in the second half of 2025, following the rollout of regional internet connectivity projects. Meanwhile, Negros saw a 58% increase in active stores. App usage jumped 106%, while GMV and transactions surged by 134% and 114%, respectively.

"We are seeing a trend where regional economies are becoming the new centers of growth for the sari-sari store sector. While Metro Manila remains a stable core, seeing a 37% increase in transactions, the rapid growth in regions such as BARMM and Negros suggests that regional store owners are quickly adopting tools to serve a much larger customer base," said Andoy Montiel, Packworks Chief Data Officer.

The data revealed a "quality over quantity" trend in the National Capital Region (NCR). While the total number of transacting stores saw a slight decline, the remaining stores became significantly more efficient. App usage rose by 15%, GMV by 31%, and transactions by 37%.

The study also underscored how this regional growth translates to community resilience. Central Visayas demonstrated a strong recovery following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake on September 30. Overall GMV rose by 7%, from nearly PHP 131 million in September to almost PHP 140 million in October, before reaching a high of PHP 158 million in December. Meanwhile, despite being hit by Typhoon Paolo in October 2025, stores in Central Luzon saw a 15% GMV increase, rising from PHP 150 million in September to PHP 172 million in October, and peaking at PHP 199 million by December during the holiday season. These consistent increases reinforce findings from Packworks' previous report, which highlight the historical resilience and continued growth of sari-sari stores as essential lifelines even in disaster-prone regions.

In contrast, the data also highlighted areas for further support. Region XIII (Caraga) saw an 11% growth in the number of stores, but a 15% decline in app usage, likely due to the region's current internet penetration levels, marking an opportunity for future infrastructure development.

“As store owners in the provinces gain access to more resources, they are proving to be the economic backbone of their communities. The surge in the regions shows that sari-sari stores are not just local fixtures, but are evolving businesses capable of driving regional economic momentum," said Packworks co-founder Hubert Yap.

For more studies and data trends insights in sari-sari stores, you may visit http://packworks.io/ or Packworks’ Facebook page to learn more.

YGG Play and Verse8 Tap into the World’s Most Dominant Crypto-Gaming Pipeline with BuidlHack 2026 in Seoul

[SEOUL, South Korea] YGG Play, the publishing arm of Yield Guild Games, and Verse8, an AI-powered game creation platform, have announced a strategic partnership to host a dedicated $5,000 "Casual Degen" game track as part of BuidlHack 2026. Taking place April 13-19, during the prestigious Korea BUIDL Week, the hackathon invites developers to leverage "vibe coding" and professional publishing expertise to build the next breakout hits in the crypto-native gaming sector.

The hackathon focuses on the "Casual Degen" category, driven by a pioneering thesis by YGG Play. These are lite, fast-paced, "snackable" games designed for players to enjoy on a second screen while they trade NFTs, memecoins, or perps. The category’s potential was recently proven by YGG Play’s flagship title, LOL Land. Launched in May 2025, LOL Land reached a lifetime revenue of $8.2 million by the end of the year, boasting a peak monthly Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) of $4,263. The figure vastly outperforms traditional mass-market casual games, which typically see an ARPPU of $25 to $50.

By combining Verse8’s generative AI tools with YGG Play’s commercial infrastructure, BuidlHack 2026 participants can move from a simple concept to a monetizable prototype with unprecedented speed. Beyond the $5,000 cash prize pool, winners will split an additional $5,000 in Verse8 platform credits and dedicated ad support to scale their titles. The most promising projects will also gain direct access to Verse8’s investment network and will be reviewed for publishing on YGG Play, unlocking the publisher’s premier player acquisition network, Web3 infrastructure, and global community distribution.

“South Korea is one of the only places where crypto and gaming culture are actually mainstream, with nearly a third of the population active in the market,” said Gabby Dizon, co-founder of Yield Guild Games.

“With thousands of PC bangs that serve as social hubs and their history of pioneering esports, Seoul is the natural place to continue building the Casual Degen category. We’re looking for those builders who can take their ideas and turn them into a sustainable business with real revenue.”

BuidlHack is a core fixture of Korea BUIDL Week, an annual series of technical events attracting over 20,000 participants to Seoul, a market where the South Korean won often rivals the US dollar in global crypto trading volume. By combining this liquidity with Korea’s status as a global gaming powerhouse, YGG Play and Verse8 are positioning BuidlHack as the premier incubator for the Casual Degen category.

“The Casual Degen category has proven demand; what it's been missing is velocity. Verse8 was built to eliminate the bottleneck: from idea to playable prototype in days, not months,” said Kevin Lee, CEO of Verse8. “By partnering with YGG Play for BuidlHack, we are providing builders with the tools to generate and remix Web3 experiences instantly, and then plugging them directly into the industry’s most sophisticated publishing and scaling engine.”

YGG Play’s publishing portfolio includes GIGACHADBAT, a baseball title developed by Delabs Games. Delabs is the Web3-focused arm of Korean studio 4:33 Creative Lab, co-founded by James Joonmo Kwon and JC Kim, who also serves as the Director of Solarium, a seed round investor of Verse8. This latest collaboration on the hackathon builds on the established relationship between YGG and Delabs, underscoring their history of working together to further the Casual Degen ecosystem.

The hackathon is open to developers, designers, and crypto enthusiasts, who will be guided throughout the process by Gabby Dizon, Kevin Lee, Hakyong Tae, VP of Business Development at Verse8, and Joe, Game Producer at Raitomira, the studio behind the hit Minesweeper-inspired Casual Degen game, Waifu Sweeper. The judging panel will consist of Joe, Gabby Dizon, Kevin Lee, and JC Kim. Judging criteria may be found here.

To kickstart development, YGG Play and Verse8 hosted an online workshop on March 25, 2026, offering an introduction to vibe coding protocol and the Casual Degen thesis. Wise Kim, VP of Marketing at Verse8, led a live vibe coding session, demonstrating how Verse8’s end-to-end AI agent solution lowers the technical barrier for creators to build and launch games. During the session, Kim transformed a basic natural language prompt into a functional platformer in minutes, highlighting Verse8’s ability to coordinate multiple AI models to handle game logic, asset generation, stage functions, and more.

Dizon and Kim also discussed the core elements of a successful Casual Degen title, with Dizon emphasizing that the best games feature simple, “one-button” mechanics paired with strategic economic loops and a balance of skill and luck. He noted that the efficiency of AI-powered development allows creators to rapidly prototype dozens of ideas to find the most engaging loops. Kim added that the hackathon is a search for serious builders who intend to turn these prototypes into tangible businesses.

A full replay of this session is available on the X account of BAS, co-organizer of BuidlHack 2026.

This preparation leads into "Builder Day" on April 14, an offline gathering in Seoul culminating in the Final Pitch and Project Showcase on April 18. International participants may pitch online, while teams located in South Korea must send at least one member to pitch in person.

How to participate in YGG and Verse8’s Casual Degen hackathon:

• Create a Casual Degen game using the Verse8 platform at create.verse8.io.
• Publish the game using the #YGG tag.
• Submit the project through the YGG & Verse8 track via Ludium.
• All participants must submit their entries by April 17, 2026, 11:59 PM KST.

For more information on the full suite of bounties and technical tracks, please visit the official BUIDL website: https://www.buidlkorea.com/buidlhack2026

PLDT, Smart Ready to Hit ‘Stop’ on Roblox in Push to Protect Kids Online

PLDT Inc. (PLDT), the country’s leading integrated telco network, and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), on Wednesday said they will support government efforts to limit access to Roblox as part of a broader push to strengthen online child protection.

The commitment comes after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), convened industry players to address safety concerns over the popular social gaming platform.

The government has placed Roblox under strict monitoring after receiving complaints from parents, educators, religious organizations, and the public on the alleged dangers children are being exposed to, including potential ‘violent extremism’.

“We appreciate the readiness of internet service providers to support government measures that aim to keep children safe online,” said Atty. Ella Blanca T. López, NTC Commissioner. “The NTC continues to work closely with industry partners as we assess appropriate actions, including potential access restrictions, to address emerging risks on digital platforms.”

“Protecting children online is a responsibility we share with government and families,” said Atty. Joan de Venecia-Fabul, PLDT Chief Legal Counsel and Head of Regulatory and Strategic Affairs. “We recognize that children are among our most important stakeholders, and we fully support efforts to create a safer digital environment for them.”

How risks emerge on the platform

Roblox, which allows users to create and interact in virtual worlds, has come under scrutiny over how bad actors are able to exploit its open, user-generated environment.

Authorities say these risks typically unfold in stages:

Initial contact through games and chat features: Predators can enter child-focused games and initiate conversations using built-in chat or voice tools, often posing as fellow players.

Migration to private channels: Interactions may move to more private spaces—either within the platform or to external apps—where moderation is weaker.

Grooming and manipulation: Over time, bad actors build trust, sometimes offering in-game currency or items to influence minors.

Exposure to harmful content or activities: This can include sexually explicit material, simulated gambling or wagering systems, or invitations to participate in illicit activities outside the platform.

Lawmakers and regulators have flagged concerns that weak age verification and moderation gaps make it difficult to consistently detect and stop these behaviors at scale.

The CICC had earlier given Roblox 15 days to respond to concerns over alleged illegal activities involving pedophiles and drug traffickers targeting underaged users. As of the latest updates, no response has been received, with the deadline extended to April 10, 2026.

Championing child safety

PLDT and Smart said they will implement any directive once the NTC issues a formal order to all internet service providers to block access to Roblox, consistent with their long-standing collaboration with authorities in restricting access to harmful online content.

The group’s pioneering Child Protection Platform enables content-level blocking of flagged URLs (uniform resource locator), including specific digital materials identified by regulators. The system is designed to go beyond basic website blocking by targeting harmful content at a more granular level, particularly online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

The telco also works with international child protection organizations such as the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection through its Project Arachnid initiative. Hashes or digital fingerprints of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) from these groups are immediately integrated into the company’s blocking system.

In the first two months of 2026 alone, PLDT and Smart blocked 176,000 attempts to access content linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). Since going live in June 2021, the platform has blacklisted more than two million web addresses linked to child abuse.

As regulators continue their review, PLDT and Smart said they remain ready to work with government partners to ensure that digital platforms operating in the country meet appropriate safety standards—particularly when it comes to protecting children.

These initiatives reflect the PLDT Group’s continued commitment to safer digital spaces and support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16, which calls for ending violence against children and strengthening institutions that protect them.